I don’t know about you, but I tend to spend way too much time using social media. Instead of posting selfies or photos of food, how about learning how to use LinkedIn to help you get a job after graduation? Of all the life hacks you can develop some of the best life hacks involve learning how to network and make the kind of contacts that can help you in your career.

Learn how LinkedIn can help you find a job. (Credit: careerizm.com)

Here are few ideas on how LinkedIn can get you on the road to success and why you should be using it now.

How to use LinkedIn

You probably already know this, but LinkedIn is the social media site for professionals. It’s not geared toward posting cute kitten videos like you would on Facebook. It’s a place to post your resume and put yourself out there to meet the movers and shakers in your industry. And hopefully get job offers.

You’ll want to be noticed by people in your industry. “Join and contribute to LinkedIn Groups that serve your industry or where you share common interests with others (and don’t just lurk, share relevant content and participate),” Babbitt advised.

Don’t stalk the people you’re trying to connect with. Always be polite.

Make sure that your profile is relevant to the type of career you’re looking for.

Remember that it’s not just who you’re connected with, but who they’re connected with, too.

Every once in a while, post an article with your thoughts on the industry that you want to break into. That way maybe you’ll get comments from people that you want to meet.

“And even if the people commenting can’t help you, maybe someone they know can. Instead of going out and searching for connections in the right places, make it more likely that they come to you – you never know who in your network might help you land your first job,” Farmer said.

Friends, teachers, colleagues, internship partners and fellow employees can write recommendations for other users. This helps researchers find users with similar interests, business experience and who’s hiring in your network.

Also use LinkedIn to find employees who work at the company you’re researching—connect with them to learn about the company, get feedback, learn what the turnover rate is, and other useful information.

For more information on employment, business and technology, check out Questia.com’s Economics and Business library.

http://blog.questia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/q-blog-logo-300x47.png00Claire Moorehttp://blog.questia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/q-blog-logo-300x47.pngClaire Moore2015-10-08 11:25:402015-10-08 10:00:06How to use LinkedIn to get a job